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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="edemaitre" data-source="post: 3166173" data-attributes="member: 3372">Schedule crunchMy current gaming group, whose members range in age from early 20s through late 30s, manages to meet most Tuesday nights from about 6:30 to 11:00 p.m. Take away the first hour for setup, the inevitable "Did you watch the latest episode of ... ?" and dinner, and that's still about four hours for three out of four weeks per month (with longer breaks and makeup weekend games around the winter holidays).Yes, scheduling has gotten progressively more difficult as we all get older and busier with careers and families. I find that nongaming activities, such as board game nights, the occasional dinner out at a restaurant, or genre movies, are good opportunities to bond when not everyone is available. My group lately tends to prefer gaming even with three out of six players rather than lose story and character development time.I agree that weeknights seem less odious to nongaming spouses and that a regular time (perhaps biweekly) is better than losing momentum between sessions. Another solution is to think of your party as having "main" and "supporting" casts. A few reliable role-players should have characters that most of the plots will involve, while those who come and go (because of school, work, children, or other commitments) should have characters that are able to do so when they do: "Bob is guarding the horses..."However, you should be ready to accept that the guy who can only show up once in four games is a supporting or cameo character (let him develop powerful Non-Player Character allies or adversaries) and no longer a regular member.I also use role-play by e-mail, a Yahoo message board, and telephone calls to bridge the gaps between sessions or to fill in remote players who can't attend every session. Note taking becomes more important, but not every player or character has the temperament for it. I try to have a few handouts or updates for each game. We're also in the midst of trying to set up a teleconference for a gamer in St. Louis (we're in the Boston area) that may enable more alumni to participate. While I enjoy videogames, they're still a poor substitute for good face-to-face role-playing!</blockquote>

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